BEYOND MALT AND

HOPS
INFUSING PASSION AND
CREATIVITY INTO THE
BREWING PROCESS
KARL OCKERT
MBAA
Moderator
I Can’t Believe We’re
Making Fruit Beer
Jason Perkins
Brewmaster
 Types of Fruit?
“Any fruit that is fit for human consumption may be used in
–Charlie Papazian,
flavoring beer” Complete Joy of Homebrewing
•Cherries and Raspberries are most common
•Others: Grapes, Currants, Peaches, Apricots,
Strawberries
•Characteristics to Consider:
oAcidity: medium to high acid content preferred
oSugar Content
oTannins: some level of tannins preferred
oColor
 Forms
•Fresh
oMost Intense Flavor
oTied to Seasonality

•Frozen
oFlash Frozen
•Puree
•Dried
•Juice and Syrup
 Sources
Fresh
•Use what is local
•Develop relationships with farmers
•Direct from growers or farmers
markets for smaller quantities
Points of Addition
Brewhouse
•Mash Tun – most practical

•Kettle – pectin can cause haze

issues
•Whirlpool / Hop back?

Cellars
•Microbiological risk
•Can heat fruit in 160F / 60C water
will lose aromas
Points of Addition – cont.
Barrels
•Addition to / removal from
barrels is difficult
•Can leave residual flavor

Stainless Tank after Barrel Aging

Secondary Ferment
•Consider residual sugar before packaging
What Types of Beer?
•Bitterness should be low in fruit beers
•Soft, non-aggressive beer – balance of acidity
•Wild beers are a good fit
•Fruit in non-wild beers
oMicro-stability
oNormal Saccharomyces Cerevisiae have
trouble with the skins of some fruit
•Expect and increase in final ABV
•Filtration?
oCan be difficult
oKeep it simple, don’t do it
 How Much?
•Depends on:
o Where is it added
o What form (fresh, dried, etc.)

•Fresh Fruit Additions: 2-3 pounds / gallon

•Some may be as high as 5 pounds / gallon

How Long?
•3-6 months on fruit is common for Lambic production
oConsumption of sugar is desired
oDepletion of “fresh” aromas is not
•Extended aging can cause:
oMore dryness/ bitterness, possibly astringency
oLoss of aroma
It’s Not Easy…
But It’s Fun
Ye a s t: Hig h Alc o h o l Le ve l
Fe rm e n ta tio n s

Tyle r Kin g
Dire c to r o f Bre win g Op e ra tio n s / He a d Bre we r
17%a b v & b e yo n d
- Ma s h P ro file
- Ye a s t S e le c tio n & P itc h in g Ra te
- Orig in a l Gra vity & Co lle c tio n
- 25 p la to fro m th e b re wh o u s e
- Oxyg e n a tio n - Co lle c tio n
Fe rm e n to r Ad d itio n s
- S UGAR
- S im p le s u g a rs (Mo n o s a c c h a rid e s )
- Min im ize Os m o tic P re s s u re ,
s p re a d th e fe e d in g s a c ro s s a fe w
d a ys
Fe rm e n to r Ad d itio n s
- NUTRIENTS
- Ma g n e s iu m & Zin c
- Fo llo w th e m a n u fa c tu re r’s
d ire c tio n s fo r p ro p e r a d d itio n
ra te s
- S to p fe e d in g n u trie n ts wh e n c e ll
g ro wth h a s s to p p e d
Fe rm e n to r Ad d itio n s
- OXYGEN
- S e c o n d o xyg e n a tio n a t 12-18
h o u rs
- Wh e n a d d in g o xyg e n d u rin g th e
fe rm e n t, try to ke e p lo w
d is s o lve d o xyg e n le ve ls
Fe rm e n to r Ad d itio n s
Fe rm e n to r Ag ita tio n
La b Re s u lts
ABV - 19.52%
Orig in a l Extra c t - 30.17 p la to
Ap p a re n t Extra c t - 6.56 p la to
Re a l Extra c t - 8.33 p la to
Ap p a re n t Atte n u a tio n - 80.78%
Re a l Atte n u a tio n - 72.43%
Co lo r (S RM) - 149.80
p H - 4.69
Ca lo rie s - 379.9
Pinch of this,Pinch of that

Phil Leinhart
Brewmaster
Brewery Ommegang
A Bit Of History
-Use of herbs/spices appear to date
back to the origins of beer itself.
-Gruit /Gruyt /Grutum: Used in
Middle Ages to flavor/preserve ale.
Three main herbs but different
suppliers had different proprietary
recipes/blends.
Extraction Methods
• Added to boil in mesh bag-not too
tight! (timing can affect spice note
level). Usually added within the last
5-10 mins of boil.
• Lager Tank: “Dry-hop” method.
Can have added benefit as alcohol
is present as a solvent.
• FB Tank
 Usage Rates
• Prudent to be conservative at
first. Can add more at a later
stage.
• Personally prefer a well-blended,
synergistic result; difficulty
picking out individual spices. Of
course this is all highly
subjective.
 Ranges
• Coriander: 17-32 g/Hl
• Orange Peel: 25-42 g/Hl
• Grains of Paradise: 4-6 g/Hl
• Cumin: 8-9 g/Hl
• Star Anise: 2-3 g/Hl
• Licorice Root: 33-45 g/Hl
Grinding/Milling
-Critical Control Point
-Do just prior to use so as not to
lose aromatic/flavor qualities.
-Degree of: similar to malt milling
trade-off between extraction of
desirables/undesirables (seed
coats can be high in tannins).
 Storage
• Tightly closed containers.
• Sealed bags.
• Cool, if possible.
 S u g a r / Wo o d
S te ve n P a u we ls
Bre wm a s te r

Bo u le va rd Bre win g Co m p a n y
US E OF S UGARS
• Extra c t c o rre c tio n
• In c re a s in g fe rm e n ta tio n d e g re e
• Co lo r c o rre c tio n
• Fla vo r
 S u g a r Ad d itio n
• Bre w Ho u s e
– S u g a r d is s o lvin g , Ca ra m e l fla vo rs , Ma illa rd ,
Bu rn in g
– Im p a c t o n FAN
– Th e rm a l lo a d
• Du rin g fe rm e n ta tio n
– Fo rtify b e e rs
– Extre m e h ig h a lc o h o l b e e rs
• Bo ttle Co n d itio n in g
– 1 g /l s u g a r = 0.5 g /l CO2
– S im p le s u g a r = q u ic ke r re -fe rm e n ta tio n
 S u g a rs with
‘Ch a ra c te r’
• Ca n d i S yru p /S u g a r
• Ho n e y
• ‘Bo ile d ’ Bro wn S u g a r vs .
‘S p ra ye d ’ Bro wn S u g a r:
(3.5% / 6.5% m o la s s e s )
• ‘Exo tic ’ S u g a rs : De m e ra ra ,
Tu rb in a d o , Ma p le S yru p ,…
Wo o d
Extra c tin g Wo o d
Fla vo rs
Sour Wort
Larry Sidor
Brewmaster
Deschutes Brewery
Is Sour Wort Bad???
• NO!
• Lactic Acid Rest
• pH Adjustment
• Bioflavoring
• Replacement for Acidulated
Malt
WHEN TO ADD?
• Start of Mashing
• Pre Boil
• End of Boil
 USAGE
• Hefe-Weizen
– None
• Pilsner
– Mash – 0.07 gallons/Bbl
– Kettle – 0.22 gallons/Bbl
• Big Beers
– Mash 0.12 gallons/Bbl
– Kettle 0.70 gallons/Bbl
 PROCESS ?
1. Harvest unhopped 12 P wort
2. Cool to 120 F
3. Add to the sour wort culture
tank which retains
approximately 10% volume
4. Hold for one week at 120 F to
develop 1.5% total acidity
REALLY CHEAP
CHEAP
NOT SO CHEAP
B
avarian M ilchsaure Wort